Neeson: My Wife's Death Still Doesn't Seem Real

By RAPHAEL CHESTANG

February 20, 2014

CBS

Five years after the sudden loss of his wife Natasha Richardson, Liam Neeson admits that he still hasn't fully come to terms with her passing.

"[Her death] was never real. It still kind of isn't," Neeson, 61, told Anderson Cooper during a sit-down for 60 Minutes. "There's periods now in our New York residence when I hear the door opening -- especially the first couple of years -- anytime I hear that door opening, I still think I'm going to hear her."

Richardson died at the age of 45 following a skiing accident that left her brain dead.

"She and I had made a pact that if any of us got into a vegetative state, we'd pull the plug," said Neeson, who kept her alive long enough for family members and friends to say their goodbyes.

In her death, Richardson was able to give life to three other people, as Neeson had her heart, kidneys and liver donated.

"I think she would be pleased by that," said Neeson.

The Non Stop star went on to concede that he still grieves for her, saying, "It hits you. It's like a wave. You just get this profound feeling of instability... the Earth isn't stable anymore, and then it passes and it becomes more infrequent, but I still get it sometimes."

Click the video for more. The entire interview airs Sunday, February 23 at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.